Terminator firm AmeyCespa dishes out £1.4m to community projects in Cambridgeshire

The money, paid out in dozens of grants, comes from the AmeyCespa Community Fund, which allows the waste management company to offset part of its Landfill Tax liability by supporting local projects.

Waste management companies must pay the tax on material they tip into the ground, as part of a scheme to encourage firms to recycle more waste instead of dumping it.

The projects have to be useful to the local community, or helpful to the environment.

The Waterbeach-based firm has a treatment plant for processing household waste, which includes a giant recycling machine that has been dubbed the Terminator.

Nearly 60 organisations were awarded money between April 2013 and March this year.

The projects include conservation work on Burwell Windmill, electrical work for Huntingdon Gymnastics Club’s new hall, restoring Parson Drove’s village pond, providing a cricket ground for Reach, and creating or improving 12 play areas across the county.

Mark Shelton, AmeyCespa’s representative on the fund’s awards panel, said: “We’re delighted to have helped so many fantastic projects through the fund. Being able to support the local community and create a positive impact is something that we truly believe in.

“It’s always great to see projects we have supported come to fruition.”

Jane Darlington, chief executive of Cambridgeshire Community Foundation, which administers the fund, said: “We have now allocated all the money from the fund, but the next round of funding will be available by the autumn, so not-for-profit groups building or improving community facilities might like to see if they meet the criteria and then apply.”

To find out more about the fund, go to www.cambscf.org.uk/AmeyCespa-fund.html.